Former Kolkata Police commissioner Rajeev Kumar on Monday filed for anticipatory bail at the Barasat court, with the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) asking him to appear for interrogation since the Calcutta High Court lifted the protection from arrest on him. The hearing will take place on Tuesday.
Since the High Court order of Friday, the CBI has made repeated attempts to contact Kumar, who is currently on leave. However, Kumar neither appeared for the questioning as asked by the CBI to be present in their Salt Lake office on Saturday morning at 10, nor was he available over phone, according to various reports quoting CBI sources. On not being able to contact him, the CBI authorities sent letters to the state chief secretary, home secretary and the director general of state police, on Sunday. Two of these letters addressed to the DGP, were received as the office was open on Sunday. The offices of the chief secretary and home secretary were closed on Sunday. The letters will be sent to the state administrative headquarters, Nabanna, again on Monday.
This is said to be a clever move by the CBI as the state government is being made answerable for Kumar’s absence. The state government – in an earlier case in the Supreme Court involving the questioning of Kumar – has said that there would be full cooperation on its part.
Meanwhile, the CBI is preparing to oppose the anticipatory bail at the Barasat court on Tuesday during the hearing. There are indications from various reports that the CBI would try to appeal for non-bailable arrest warrant against Kumar. According to some reports, the CBI is preparing to submit a caveat in the Supreme Court so that any move by Rajeev Kumar does not involve a one-sided hearing.
During the day, the CBI is also putting pressure on the West Bengal government to ensure that Kumar appears for questioning, and if not, this can be a way of indicating non-cooperation by the state government – when the case comes for hearing in the courts.
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